Performance & Commitments

Performance & Commitments – ASOS plc

This, our fourth corporate responsibility report, summarises our achievements in the 2015 to 16 financial year, in each of the four pillars in our responsibility framework, and sets out how we plan to bolster our programme for the future.

I’m fully committed to ensuring Fashion with Integrity continues to provide the framework for how we do business at ASOS as our global operations continue to expand rapidly. The successes highlighted in this report are testament to the dedication and ambition of our colleagues, suppliers, customers and all of the expert organisations we work with to create a more sustainable and ethical industry.

Nick Beighton
Chief Executive Officer, ASOS

2015/16 ACHIEVEMENTS

fashion with integrity

Relaunched our online Corporate Responsibility Report.

Published our fourth UN Global Compact COP.

Published our first Slavery and Trafficking Statement – a legal requirement under the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015).

Enhanced our business integrity due diligence process for key third party suppliers and service providers in selected countries and industries.

Implemented more detailed reporting on gifts and hospitality received and given by ASOS employees.

Reduced carbon intensity, as measured by grams per customer order by approximately 4% compared to the previous year.

Signed off a new carbon strategy which aims to reduce our energy consumption and delivery and packaging emissions, and to increase our renewable energy usage.

Completed energy audits of all our UK premises.

Converted all of the lighting at our Barnsley fulfilment centre to low emission LED alternatives, cutting our lighting electricity consumption by 76%.

45% of European orders (excluding UK) now fulfilled from our German Eurohub, reducing stock and vehicle movements and emissions across Europe.

Completed a renewable energy appraisal at Eurohub 2 so that renewable energy generation can be factored into the new building design.

Carried out a desktop environmental assessment to benchmark our top 100 non-stock suppliers with the aim of developing supplier environmental scorecards.

Set up a customer clothes recycling scheme in partnership with Doddle, a package delivery company, and TRAID, a UK charity who is reducing the social and environmental cost of the textile industry. TRAID will receive funds from clothes donated by ASOS customers that are sold in its shops.

Recycled 298 tonnes of cardboard and sent 388 tonnes of plastic to be transformed into manufacturing pellets at our returns processing site in Selby.

our customers

Designed formal wear for 600 British Paralympic athletes and support staff to wear at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Created a Paralympic legacy and increased awareness of disability through volunteer employee engagement opportunities.

Worked with the anti-bullying charity, The Diana Award, to produce teaching resources to help open up discussions with young people about body image issues which have been downloaded almost 20,000 times since its launch in September 2015.

Provided an online support service which helped over 7000 young adults with eating disorders during the period June 15 to May 16, as part of our ongoing relationship with eating disorders charity, Beat.

our community

More than 17.5 % of employees make regular donations from their pay to charity – we received our fourth Platinum Quality Mark for Payroll Giving in April.

Our employees volunteered 2,258 hours to give time and expertise to our community programme partners or to their chosen charity or community group.

Set up a new partnership with Centrepoint, funding mental health services for homeless young adults in London.

Partnered with Barnsley College to fund the Enterprise Programme to develop young people’s business ideas and employability skills, and iTrust which provides local business start-ups with grant and mentor support.

Delivered our second Prince’s Trust ‘Get Into IT’ technology programme, resulting in six graduates being offered 12-month contracts in ASOS’ IT Department and three from the pilot programme being offered permanent roles.

Provided fresh water to an additional 3,800 people in rural Kenya by installing a 6km water pipeline.

Launched the ‘Pipeline Roadshow’, a programme of community workshops in rural villages including women’s health, free eye care clinics and training in financial management for women and families.

Opened our first purpose-built Udayan Care home for 12 Orphaned or abandoned girls in India.

2016/17 COMMITMENTS

fashion with integrity

Improve employee and supplier understanding, engagement and compliance with Do The Right Thing so that as we continue our rapid international growth business integrity remains part of ASOS’ DNA.

Extend our partnership with the eating disorder charity Beat to enable them to recruit an additional member of staff to assist with online support services for young adults with eating disorders.

Undertake workshops with young people attending Haverstock school, Camden to encourage the importance of being healthy, body confident and choosing clothes that fit rather than changing body shapes to fit clothes.

Continue to publish articles on diverse and inspirational young men and women across ASOS content.

Continuously improve the fit of our garments so that we can deliver the right fit, first time to every customer.

our community

As a founder member of ‘Geared for Giving’, participate in a national campaign to ensure that every UK employee has access to a payroll giving scheme by 2020.

Launch Centrepoint volunteer opportunities for ASOS employees to increase awareness of homelessness and mental health issues in the community

Extend Project Pipeline to provide fresh drinking water for more of the Kasigau community.

Open our second Udayan Care home in Kurukshetra which will include space for a community mentoring centre.

We’d like to know what you think of our performance so far in corporate responsibility – please contact us here.